How 007 First Light Gets Bond Right

Here's a confession that could get my English citizenship revoked: I'm not a Bond fan.

Perhaps more accurately, I've never found him particularly interesting and, as a result, I've never quite accepted the idea that he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the great figures of British fiction. If I may, he leaves me neither shaken nor stirred.

The Name's Bored, James Bored

To be fair to Britain's favourite superspy, I've never read the novels which first introduced him to the world. I have, however, seen my fair share of the films, and it's difficult to come away from them without concluding that James Bond is one of the wackiest, most tonally incongruous characters in pop fiction.

For every portrayal of 007 as a grounded, dispassionate operative with a licence to kill, there's another which devolves into some of the most ludicrous shit ever put to the silver screen. In one story, Bond will face world-ending threats with the cold consideration they demand; in another, camp spectacle reigns supreme, with the 00-agent delivering wince-inducing dad jokes mere moments after having shot someone in the face.

It's this general and variable goofiness which prevents me from enjoying Bond wholesale. After all, if the films refuse to take Bond—or the events surrounding him—seriously, why should I?

Writing Bond is a tightrope walk. He needs to be suave and sophisticated, dangerous yet damaged, intelligent and independent. Crucially, he needs to be funny. His humour must feel effortless: dry, pointed, and understated.

All these traits coalesce into a character that men want to be, and women want to be with—that's how the saying goes, at least.

Bringing that kind of 007 to life in 2026 is no small feat. It requires sharp writing, critique of the man behind the moniker and, most importantly of all, restraint. Fortunately, that's exactly what Danish developer IO Interactive delivers in 007 First Light.

Golden-IO Interactive

Before I touch on First Light, though, I first want to acknowledge just how well-suited IO Interactive is to the Bond licence.

Having made its name with the Hitman series and its barcode-branded assassin, the studio almost seems to have been building to this game over its near-thirty-year development history.

I mean, when you take a moment to think about it, it makes perfect sense. The world of the Hitman series is steeped in espionage, conspiracy and international intrigue. Agent 47 is also regularly sent on globe-trotting assignments on behalf of the shadowy International Contract Agency (ICA). It's almost like he and Bond are opposite sides of the same coin. Whether infiltrating lavish parties, rubbing shoulders with the global elite, or dismantling powerful criminal organisations, it's fair to say the series has long embraced many of the themes and scenarios that have defined Bond for decades.

All of this was running through my mind back in November 2020 when IO announced that it was working on a Bond game. After all, the studio had already cemented its reputation for creating gorgeous, lived-in sandboxes populated by countless NPCs. But the notion of doing all of this as a smooth-talking Bond? Well, it's hard not to be excited by the potential. It's potential that, I'm delighted to say, 007 First Light realises through its characterisation and story.

Bond Building

When Casino Royale released in 2006, it revitalised Bond. Pierce Brosnan's overbearingly suave take on the spy was out. Daniel Craig's colder, more pragmatic portrayal of a newly minted 00-agent was in, complete with the unsettling process of him earning his licence to kill.

The concept of a "year-one" Bond is inherently compelling to me. In such a depiction, we're not watching the unflappable, dry-martini-ordering version of the character, but one that still has the capacity to make mistakes—one that must rely on his wits rather than his world-weariness. First Light embraces that interpretation wholeheartedly, charting James' journey from Royal Navy aircrewman to 00-agent.

At 26, he's also a far younger Bond than we're accustomed to seeing, and it pays dividends. He's capable and charismatic without drifting into self-parody or overconfidence—a testament to the writing and tonal balance that IO brings to the project.

Much of the credit must also go to Patrick Gibson, who delivers one of the most compelling interpretations of Bond in years. Striking a careful balance between intelligence and charm while retaining a sense of youthful impulsiveness, he is consistently excellent. It leaves Bond feeling less like a legend and more like a man growing into the role, a role which the player slowly slips into over the course of the campaign.

As an example, one of my favourite moments came shortly after exiting a restricted area. As I was leaving, a security guard who had previously pushed me aside demanded to know how I had got in. Without pause, James simply replied, "Quite easily." In the wrong hands it could easily have been groan-worthy. In IO and Gibson's, it lands just right.

Nobody Does it Better

However, this would all be meaningless if First Light stumbled in the story department. So, how does the game fare here? Very well, in fact.

As an origin story set within IO Interactive's own continuity, the game is untethered from any obligations to the film series, and that's one of its greatest strengths. Following Bond from the outset of his career in espionage, the story charts his first steps into a world of international intrigue, shifting loyalties and high-stakes geopolitics.

It's all played completely straight, too. The villains of First Light aren't firing lasers at the polar ice caps from the moon. Instead, they represent the kinds of insidious forces shaping society behind closed doors today: billionaire tech moguls, venture capital excess and the sinister crypto grift.

I won't spoil anything here (watching the story slowly unfold was one of the best things about First Light), but what I will say is that it presents a confidently modern take on the property. In particular, I found the game's hyper-critical stance on artificial intelligence and its steady intrusion upon human roles and spaces hugely refreshing—particularly in a world which seems so afraid to denounce it.

It's a bold reimagining of 007 and his world, one that feels firmly rooted in the concerns of the present day. If you have even a passing interest in the franchise, it's an entry well worth checking out.

Licence to Thrill

Somehow, it's been almost seven years since Daniel Craig announced he was stepping down from Her Majesty's Secret Service, and in the years since, there's been no shortage of speculation over who might inherit the licence to kill next. Idris Elba? Jacob Elordi? Callum Turner?

After playing First Light, I'd say Patrick Gibson deserves to be part of that conversation. His performance captures all the qualities that have allowed Bond to endure for more than 70 years, while leaving behind the aspects of the character that have aged less gracefully.

It's perhaps First Light's greatest achievement: recognising that Bond's appeal isn't simply the gadgets, tailored suits or one-liners. Those are merely the trappings of the character. What matters is the man underneath them.

So, how does 007 First Light get Bond right? Gibson understands what makes Bond compelling. IO understands what makes him human. What results is one of the most interesting interpretations of the character in years. I might just have to change my mind on him.